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Canada’s rich heritage is the theme of the 2017 Dream Home with builder Minto saying “we went big” to celebrate the nation’s sesquicentennial.

The showpiece prize of the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery is dubbed the Red Maple. Its 5,392-square feet features rustic stone, Douglas Fir beams and wood floors milled from reclaimed logs pulled from the Ottawa River, in a development set amid green fields in Manotick.

But KISS Design Group, led by principal designer Donna Correy, aimed to reflect both past and present, adding factory-style lighting, luxe appliances and on-trend accents such as innovative fireplaces and graphic tile floors.

“The overall feeling … this year is a farmhouse chic meets industrial vibe,” said associate designer Tracey Woodman. “We had an ode to Canada’s heritage this year.”

The design team — which also included Sarah Kidder of Sarah Kidder Design and Krista Jadowski of Krista Jadowski Design — said the aim was stylish, but family-friendly living. Their goal was to create a “warm and inviting” feeling as cozy as an iconic Hudson’s Bay blanket — the inspiration for the pops of colour against a soft, grey backdrop and another nod to Canada 150.

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“We kept a neutral palette with the textures and modern finishes and peppered in the colours of the Bay blanket, such as the bright yellow in the stove, the blue in some of the cushions, the red in the oversized sectional in the basement.”

Kitchen in the Minto Home for the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery in Ottawa.Jean Levac/Postmedia NewsThe basement home theatre sofa gives a pop of colour to the decor.Jean Levac/Postmedia News

The front door opens to porcelain tile floor that looks like distressed wood then transitions to salvaged wood planks from Logs End, one of many local companies that took part in the project that raises millions for the children’s hospital.

A modern glass fireplace separates a sitting area from a formal dining room with a contrasting barn board ceiling detail.

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Then it’s on to a gourmet kitchen complete with a butler’s pantry and walk-in pantry outfitted with industrial pipe and wood shelving.

The kitchen features Shaker-style cabinets painted a pale gray with a huge L-shaped island backing onto a built-in bench that provides seating around a wood table.

“We’ve never done an island like this before,” Woodman said. “This is a new layout for us and we’re really pleased with it. It allows the kitchen to have a functional island and an eat-in kitchen.

The unique kitchen island is a multi-purpose addition to the home.Jean Levac/Postmedia News

“You can be preparing your meal while the kids are sitting at this very practical rustic table — they can’t damage it.”

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The countertops only look like oiled soapstone. They’re actually made of a new, high-tech material called Dekton.

The show-stopper is a bright-yellow Bertazzoni range set against a wall of white tiles laid in a chevron pattern and vast stainless-steel range hood. On the kitchen ceiling is a recessed panel covered with ceramic tiles that look like stamped tin – a “modern twist” on a vintage tin ceiling.

The kitchen is open to a family room with a mid-century style freestanding fireplace and a framed TV that shows art when it’s not in use. The whole house is wired for sound with an Internet-connected controller in the main floor hall.

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The family room television displays art when it’s not in use.Jean Levac/Postmedia News

Outside is a deck sized for dining overlooking a landscaped garden.

Back inside and heading towards the garage, home to a 2018 Toyota Tacoma from Myers Auto Group, is a powder room with the ceiling wallpapered in a whimsical feather pattern and a laundry room outfitted with built-in shelving for a busy family’s coats and boots.

In the basement, there’s a media room with a 110″ inch TV and a sectional from La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, which furnished the home, that’s fit for a crowd. A gym features every possible exercise machine down to a child-sized stationary bike. A full bath has a bright red vanity painted, fittingly, in a colour called Million Dollar Red.

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On the wall is a reminder of what the Deam Home is all about: a colourful collage of art made by CHEO patients with 11-year-old Vanessa captioning her picture with an encouraging “fight hard and never give up!”

Just another spot to hang out. The family room on the second level of the Minto Home for the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery.Jean Levac/Postmedia News

Up the wide staircase to the second floor, there’s the unexpected – another living space with a 12.5 foot tall fireplace and outfitted with five wingback chairs as a games and reading room.

Above are four bedrooms and three bathrooms set up for the family that the design team imagined living there one day soon.

One, designed for a young girl, is bright and colourful with a feature wall of cityscape-themed wallpaper and hanging lucite chair. Her bathroom has oversized round tiles and a rustic live-edge wood countertop.

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Her little brothers share a loft-style bedroom with a hideaway tucked beneath the stairs and ensuite.

The parents get a master suite with a custom iron chandelier that mimics branches hanging from the vaulted ceiling, luxurious bath with acres of marble-look porcelain tiles and a room-sized closet.

A fourth bedroom became a den with a brick feature wall, reached through trendy barn doors that slide on iron hardware.

“Not only is this a dream home but we definitely know that somebody is going to win this fabulous place,” said Jadowski. “It’s really about creating this warm, beautiful feeling of home.”

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The trends

Want to make your own digs a little dreamier? The Dream Home is known as a showcase for current home trends with about 30,000 adult visitors a year and 25,000 visiting virtually.

Innovative fireplaces

The Dream Home has not one, not two but three fireplaces. They’re from Romantic Fireplaces and BBQs and each is different.

One is a freestanding 1950s-style model and another sleekly tiled to the ceiling, but the intended show-stopper greets visitors as they walk through the front door. It’s a modernist glass box clad in stone-look Dekton, the same material as the sleek kitchen countertops, with crushed glass around the gas flame and fibre optic lighting that changes colour.

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Floors with big, bold patterns have been hot for a while now, but the CHEO Dream Home includes a softer take on the graphic trend with oversized Italian tiles from Euro Tile and Stone. The home features two different patterns of black and white Ornamenta tiles, each with a hand-painted look.

The back hall, main floor powder room and laundry room have Tangle Fish pattern; Tangle Up and Down is in the basement bath.

Industrial lighting

The variety of lighting in the home, from Living Lighting, shares a unifying colour palette, mostly black, and many fixtures have a factory feel with raw metals and filament light bulbs.

“We kept the lighting all in that same feel of industrialism which was again a nod to Canada’s past,” Woodman said.

An eye-catching standout is an oversized bowl-shaped pendant with an artisanal feel over the kitchen table that’s matte black metal on the outside and lined with gold leaf to cast a warm glow.

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The details

What: The Minto Dream Home, part of the nearly $1.8 million Grand Prize in the 2017 CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery

Where:585 Chriscraft Way in Minto’s Mahogany in Manotick

When: Open Monday through Friday from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until the Dec. 8 deadline to buy tickets ($100 or three for $250) or until tickets sell out. The final draw is Jan. 9 and 10.

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